


All's Fair in Love and War.. Right?

by FoxyFury



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Depression, Fluff, Frisk isn't coming back yo, Gen, Heavy Angst, Literally no one is safe in this fic, Multi, No resets, Other, PTSD, Post Pacifist Route, Sibling Rivalry, Slow Burn, War, bits of, here and there, like extremely slow, no room for mistakes, prepare for pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-14 00:39:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7992163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxyFury/pseuds/FoxyFury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You had never been up to Mount Ebott. Though you have wanted to for years, no one would dare travel up there with you, not even your brother. And you weren’t stupid, you weren’t about to hike that giant mountain alone. But that just made this all the more ironic, especially with nightfall approaching; here you were, about to do just that.</p><p>You just had to find out what all the commotion was about.  What had caused that bright light from its peak? What was everyone so suddenly afraid of? Certainly it couldn’t be.. no. That was just an old wives tale. But.. still. All you knew was you had to see it for yourself. You weren't about to wait and see what the search party turned up.</p><p>You finish pulling on your boots, grabbing your backpack of basic supplies and your dear camera. With a deep breath you silently opened the door and stepped outside.</p><p>Little did you know exactly how much was about to change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“Come on, slowpoke!!” 

“I’m trying!” you yell back, your irritation growing. You had wanted to point out that his legs were longer than yours, so of course he was faster. Or how the field of tall daisies you were running through slowed you down as their stems seem to cling to your shoes. But you weren't much for excuses, even if he would accept them, so you urged your legs to move faster to make up for his longer strides.

However, they decided to give out on you in exhaustion instead, causing you to land with a soft “ompf,” into the bed of flowers. Luckily the daisies cushioned your fall considerably and left you unscathed, save for your pride.

“Don’t tell me you're tired already.” You hear him chuckle from above you, already having closed the distance between you two when you fell.

You pointedly ignore his teasing, letting yourself give into your exhaustion and roll over onto your back with a muffled huff, eyes still closed so you would at least not have to face that cheeky grin of his you knew he was wearing.

“Is that how you’re gonna be, now?” His tone was still more playful than anything, but despite the questioning remark, he didn't wait on an answer. He took the spot next to you, laying out in the flowers with his head by yours. Only then did you open your eyes. The flowers danced along with the breeze in the corners of your vision, framing the blue skies that were streaked with fluffy clouds; it fell quiet between you two, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the trees and the call of a few song birds to fill the silence. It was not an unusual scene, you had done this a hundred times now, yet it never failed to amaze you with just how it slowed everything down for just a moment. 

You let your gaze shift ever so slightly to include the mountains in your picturesque view, glancing over its rigid, rocky shape and admiring its powerful presence. However, something else caught your attention as your eyes focus on movement along one of the mountains’ ledges. Despite not being able to see exactly what it was, you watch it slip into a crevice. Normally you would've just thought of it as another shadow the mountain cast upon itself, but focusing on it now, it was too dark to be just a shadow. Was it the opening to a cave? 

“Brother..” you begin quietly, waiting for his small, almost sleepy hum of recognition. “Do you think it’s true?”

“Do I think what’s true?”

“You know. The reason why they say we can’t go up mount Ebott.”

“Whether it is or not doesn't matter. It’s obviously dangerous, and mom and dad told us not to.”

You sit up in protest, a knot of disappointment growing in your belly, “Aw come on. It's the only place we haven’t explored yet.”

“Not true.” He closes his eyes, unbothered by your argument. “I still haven’t shown you my secret spot.” 

“You don’t have a ‘secret spot’,” you shoot back, folding your arms over your chest.

“Do, too.”

“Where is it, then?”

“Wouldn’t be a secret if I told ya.” His sneer quickly turned into an exaggerated wince as you jab him in the side. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself.” 

Silence falls again, but it was more uncomfortable this time since he had so easily gotten you off track with your argument. You were just about to begin your spiel about exploring mount Ebott again but he starts in before you, “Well. I don’t know about you, but I'm starving.” Picking himself up quickly, he brushes whatever dirt and grass from his clothes before adding slyly, “How about a race?”

“Wait, what?” You fumble as you try to pick yourself up, caught off guard by his proposal, “No-” But he already has his back to you, paying no mind to your objections as he readied himself.

“Last one to make it back home has to do all the chores for a week!!” Without any hesitation he’s off, running full speed back towards town.

“Oh, come on!” you half wine, taking off after him. Of course you knew this ‘bet’ was just one of his many bluffs. He wouldn't actually make you do anything, especially since the race was obviously unfair, even without his head start. He was a great big brother, but times like these when he purposely avoided these questions got to you. What was it about this town and Mount Ebott?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little flashback to the good old days before we get into it. Hope you guys are ready~


	2. A Very Warm Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You had never been up to Mount Ebott. Though you have wanted to for years, no one would dare travel up there with you, not even your brother. And you weren’t stupid, you weren’t about to hike that giant mountain alone. But that just made this all the more ironic, especially with nightfall approaching; here you were, about to do just that.
> 
> You just had to find out what all the commotion was about. What had caused that bright light from its peak? What was everyone so suddenly afraid of? Certainly it couldn’t be.. no. That was just an old wives tale. But.. still. All you knew was you had to see it for yourself. You weren't about to wait and see what the search party turned up.
> 
> You finish pulling on your boots, grabbing your backpack with basic supplies and your dear camera. With a deep breath you silently opened the door and stepped outside.
> 
> Little did you know exactly how much was about to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sarcastic Title is Sarcastic (and ironic)

You may have underestimated the climb. Or maybe you overestimated your own abilities. Afterall, how were you supposed to know it was going to be this steep? Not to mention big. In fact, you were quite certain the mountain was getting bigger and bigger the longer you were walking. Your supplies even felt heavier too; from your worn out boots to the camera that hung from your neck, it all started to weigh on you, dragging you down and making your pace slow. And as the cherry on top of a perfect situation, it was already turning to dusk and you were forced to bring out your flashlight just so you wouldn't twist an ankle on this unforgiving trail. 

 

Things weren’t looking favorable for you and you began to doubt yourself, believing you should just head back to save yourself from the trouble that would be caused if your brother happened to wake up and discover you missing. However, that was when you caught the faintest of voices from ahead of you, still shrouded in darkness. You could only make out one voice, but it seemed to be talking to another you couldn’t yet hear.

 

Surely it couldn’t be the search party already. They may have horses, but there was no way that they had passed you and been on their way back to town already. Maybe it was someone like you who decided to set off on their own earlier? Knowing how your town is, you doubted it and quickly switched off your light; it’d be best if you saw them first instead of the other way around. Better safe than sorry you figured. 

 

Dodging into the thickest of the brush, you couch and wait for the voices to draw closer.

 

Several minutes passed, the voice growing louder and louder, and even more voices joining in. It seemed to be a whole group of people, laughing and a couple even yelling their words. That’s probably why you had been able to hear them coming from such a distance. But still, it was odd. Who in their right mind would be taking a hike up the most dangerous mountains at night?

 

Well, you were just as guilty as they were. But this was different, you were on a mission and these people seemed to be treating it as a stroll through the park! Especially with the added tension in people since the flash at Mount Ebott’s peak, it simply wasn’t settling right with you.

 

Your grip tightened on the camera that hung from your neck. Something was definitely off. 

 

Slowly they came into view, enough so you to make out their shapes in the darkness, and it was all you could do to keep from gasping. They were giant, well, except for two of them, which seemed to be around your height. But how the other figures loomed over the others was downright intimidating, one of which was nearly as wide as you were tall! 

 

They each had slightly different anatomy as well it seemed. A couple had large, sharp horns, one bore a long tail which drug the ground, and another was impossibly thin.

 

Could these be..

 

“WAIT,” demanded one of the figures, making the group pause only a few yards ahead of you now.

 

“what’s up, bro?” Another, deeper voice replied.

 

“SHH. LISTEN! WHAT’S THAT SOUND?”

 

Everyone fell quiet and now that you were concentrating, you could hear the sound of hooves against the rocky terrain coming up the mountainside.

 

If these figures were who you thought they were, this would not be good..

 

“Humans?” A warm, gentle voice asks.

 

“It appears so.” the biggest figure answered, “we should probably wait for them to come to us. We don’t want it risk scaring them.”

 

“O-oh! I. I don’t know. Y-you know I don’t handle these kind of situations well, Asgore.. I r-really can’t,” the almost nasally voice quickly rambled on as she took a few steps back, nearly tripping on her tail it seemed, “I just! I’ll be waiting for you guys back there!”

 

“Wait!” A new voice called after, hastily following her back up the mountains’ path, “Alphys!”

 

Another, smaller figure almost followed after, but they were stopped by a hand resting on their shoulder, “Hold on, child. I believe we will need you here.”

 

They hesitate but nod, taking their place in front of the group.

 

Now the sound of horses and men could not be ignored as they bound their way up the steep trail with incredible speed. You could even make out the light from their own torches, slowly illuminating the area you all were in.

 

Afraid of being seen, you crouch even lower into the undergrowth though still keeping your eyes on the group ahead of you as they finally came were revealed in the light. This was it, there was no doubt if you had any left. There were four monsters, two giant goat anthropomorphs and two skeletons standing right behind.. a child? You pause, looking over the teen more carefully as you processed why they looked so familiar.. 

 

It was the kid who got lost just last week! You had heard the story and seen posters around town about how a couple of tourists went hiking up Mount Ebbot only to get separated from their child somehow. Everyone had chalked it up to the mountain taking the child, telling the couple they had been lucky they didn’t meet the same fate. Of course the parents refused to believe the myth that the townspeople told them and they even tried to hire others to help them search the mountain, but as far as you knew no one had been willing to help. 

 

Despite how you would imagine someone would look after having spent days lost up in a mountain, the child looked well cared for, save for a few stains and tears in their clothing. They wore a blank yet determined expression as the horses came to a stop some 20 feet from where they stood.

 

“Monsters!” One of the men called above the angry yells of the others, “The people of this land command you to return from where you came! You are not welcomed here!”

 

The goat-man took a single step forward, opening his arms in a low, welcoming gesture, “Humans, we do not-”

 

“Not another step, monster!” The men readied their weapons, preparing for any attack the monsters may attempt.

 

You took ahold your camera as well, lining up your own shot. There was no telling how this would turn out or what stories would spread after this, but you had to get some sort of physical evidence. Something to show the true story, even if terrifying monsters being confronted with guns wasn’t a pretty sight to capture.

 

“Please, don’t!” The child piped up unexpectedly, their voice even smaller than you would have imagined. So young and innocent, yet they took a defensive stance, moving to block the monsters with their body as they approached the armed men. “We don’t want to fight.” 

 

“Stop!”

They continued.

“Not another step!”

They persisted. 

“I said-!” BANG!

The sound of gunfire startled you, your finger slipping on your camera and causing the shutter to snap as you fell back helplessly.

 

Your ears rang terribly from the racket, your mind put into a daze for a moment by it before you realized what had happened. Picking yourself back up, you look through the brush to a gruesome sight; the child you had seen standing before you just a moment ago had been knocked back several feet, sprawled out on the ground limply as blood gushed from the wound that seemed to spread across their entire face. You couldn’t even recognize them anymore with their face blown half off and the other half littered with holes and smeared in red.

 

Your eyes unwillingly linger a second before darting around the scene to look anywhere except at the child, but bits and pieces of bloody lumps of god-knows-what scatter the ground and their companions’ clothing, not letting you escape what you had just witnessed.

 

There was yells of terror on both sides and your head was still foggy, either from the gunshot or shock, but you could make out the loudest of the group; the goat-woman who was already at the child’s side, picking up their body. Their formerly warm voice now breaking as she shrieked, “My child! No, no no, NO!”

 

There were more yells from the men and the sound of guns dropping to the ground but your reactions were slow now and it felt like several minutes had passed before you were able to turn your attention to them.

 

Hearts..? Before each of the men floated a single heart, all different colors and shades, all glowing brightly in the night. However this sight did not last as many of the men turned their horses around, urging them with all their might to escape the white balls of flames that came hurtling at them.

 

You stared, unable to look away from the scene as the waves of fire washed over the men and horses. To your disbelieve a few rode out safely despite being amidst the flames as well, their colored hearts trailing after them. But the others were not so lucky.

 

Nothing burned. Their clothes nor their horses caught on fire, but the flames wrapped around their hearts and their bodies acted accordingly. As the heart was burnt away, being eaten by the flames, so were their bodies, slowly melting flesh and muscle from their bones. 

 

Their screams of agony were the stuff of nightmares, echoing in your own mind as they continued to wail; some of them being carried off by their equally terrified horses into the night to die alone, others falling from their steeds and onto the ground before you. They didn’t die right away. No, they were left crying, screaming as they tried to pick themselves from the ground only to leave behind a mess of gooey flesh and muscle where they had been.

 

Your head swam again and you turned your entire body from the scene; unable to keep down your disgust, it hurled itself onto the ground, only leaving you feeling worse than before.

 

What had even happened..

 

You weren’t sure anymore, none of this felt real, none of this could happen. People didn’t just melt like that, kids didn’t just get their face blown off.

 

The disgust in your stomach escapes you again, but you stand up through it. You had to get out of here, away from the smell of gun fire and burning flesh, away from the blood that threatened to pool around your feet.

 

You didn’t know in what direction you ran, just that it was down the mountainside, just that it was Away. You ran as fast as your numbed feet could carry you, but the screams followed you long after you should’ve been able to hear them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I warned ya~


	3. It's Only the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mistakes were made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, so um. Long time no update?
> 
> Sorry I fell off the undertale bandwagon for forever but I'm back now! And DUDES, this story has been in my mind for awhile but here it goes. 
> 
> I can't promise super quick updates, so leave a bookmark if you want to see how this story unfolds.

SANS POV

Shit.. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Shit!

“Aw, fuck!” Sans let the last bit of his mental curses slip out in his frustration.

But Papyrus made no response, no hint that he had even heard Sans and Sans really wish he would have. Sure Papyrus could even manage to get on his nerves sometimes, but he was craving a bit of normalcy now from the taller skeleton. However, instead his brother continued to stare blankly at the blue piece of cloth in his gloved hands, fiddling with it mindlessly.

It had just went all wrong so fast.

Those damn humans.. No, no, they weren’t. They didn’t mean to..

Sans continued to pace in the judgement hall, having taken a shortcut to get Papyrus here as soon as he had heard gunfire. When Sans had returned for Toriel and Asgore, he found her already driven to madness in her grief, and Asgore trying to calm her fruitlessly. In her fit of rage she had called the human souls forth and sent firey attacks towards the group of men. Sans didn’t look at the humans, he didn’t need to when he had heard their screams. He knew more than a few of Toriel’s attacks had landed..

Luckily for his friends, they had all made it back safe thanks to his shortcuts.. All except for..

Damn, kid. Why haven’t you reset already?

His steps quicken. Sure he had threatened the kid to stop with the resets, to just let them all live on the surface, but a reset would be a welcomed treat at this point.

What was taking them so damn long.

 

READER POV

Your lungs burned as you burst through the last treeline towards town. You would've been surprised at yourself for reaching the town as fast as you did if your mind hadn’t still been spinning from the previous events. It was as if you were on autopilot, walking through the streets, not fully registering exactly what had happened or your surroundings.

However you could only make out bits and pieces. Women and children crying in the streets, another group of people already gathered at the square listening to your Chief rant profanities and orders. 

It’s all background noise to you, now, your eyes dead set on the door to your house, where you could finally escape from everything. Where you could just go inside and sleep away this terrible nightmare. It had to have been a nightmare. Just a bad dream. It just.. had to be.. But as you reach for the doorknob, it turns itself and opens in on you. You were met by your brother, having just been on his way out apparently; all suited up with a leather chest plate and rifle in tow. 

“Oh my god. Where have you been?” Dropping his weapon at the door, he pulls you in close to him, burying your face uncomfortably into his chest plate as his arms wrapped protectively around you. Despite the position, you felt your relax, if only a little; your mind finally began to ease back into reality.

The moment didn’t seem to last long as he pulled away from you to give his signature stern glare, “Where were you? Do you have any idea what’s going on? What just happened?!”

You open your mouth to speak, but as you prepare to tell the tonight’s events, you felt your mouth go dry.

“Woah, there,” you hadn’t even realized it, but you must have fallen into him, completely depending on him to hold up your weight now from your knees buckling from beneath you “Come on now, let’s get you on the couch.” 

Tears were clouding your vision at this point. Why were you crying? You hated crying, especially in front of your brother. But the concern and relief mixed in his features, and the events catching up to you as not just a nightmare but reality, were all too much.

“What happened, sis? Come on.” He grew more concerned as the first tears fell and you buried your face in your hands to hide yourself. He gently grabbed them, pulling them away to look at you.

 

“You don’t have to tell me..” finally, he whispered. “I just.. I’m not sure how much you know.. But given your reaction.. I… You see, apparently those stories ma and pa used to tell, they’re real, ______.”

Your shoulders shook in the midst of your sobbing, trying to stop your pathetic display, but you managed a nod.

“Our town sent a patrol up there just an hour ago to check things out, but only one man returned.. He suffered severe burns across his body but he told the town what had happened. At first it seemed crazy, but what else could’ve caused such wounds and taken out an entire patrol!” At this point he had let go our your hands and was standing, pacing a few steps before you, his own nerves getting to him though he would never admit it.

“They had killed them in cold blood! Those… those monsters!”

“..no..” you whispered back, afraid at first you’d have to repeat yourself if he hadn’t heard you over his own ranting. You didn’t know if you had it in you to repeat yourself, you were shutting down.. Like you always did when you didn’t want to process difficult emotions.

But he stopped in his tracks, “What do you mean? Our men wouldn’t just start killing for no reason!”

Our men. You could almost crack a smile at that. They hadn’t been ‘our men’ in years. A Decade even. Once father died, Alec didn’t want to have to care for the town, not when he was convinced his sister needed him to raise her. Which you didn’t. However he was convinced, despite your family’s status. Your family had always held so much power in your village, and while there had always been a democratic system in place, your family title was expected to govern and guide the people. It’s just the way things had always been.

But that didn’t stop Braen, the now Chief of your town, from stepping up and gaining popularity through good deeds and claiming he was more experienced than some teenager to run the village. Which, in all honesty, hadn’t been a lie. And with your brother so willing stepping down. You and your brother had quietly became semi-normal figures to the rest of the villagers.

“______!” His call jostled you from the haze you had fallen back into, “Did you see what happened? Don’t tell me you were actually there!!”

Oh, he was sharp. Even in critical situations such as these, he never seemed to miss a beat.

“They didn’t… here.” You gingerly handed your camera to Alec. All the proof was there. While the monsters weren’t totally innocent in this as they slaughtered many men before you.. Your stomach churned for a moment.. It had all began when one of ‘your’ men had fired at the child! Misfire or not, that was the spark which set of the wildfire of events unfolding before you.

He pulled up the picture for himself, landing heavily on the couch next to you with a gasp, his expression unreadable.

“My god..” He was up again a moment later, “______ stay here. I need to get this to Braen as evidence.”

He didn’t even wait for your response, as if you had the energy to give one at this point.

You knew you should get up. While your family was no longer in power, you still felt the need to aid your village, especially now. You were sure your brother felt that same pull right now as he rushed out the door.

The least you could do was get up for him, not make Alec handle this all alone.

But you were exhausted and you could still feel your mind swim with the events of earlier. You didn’t want to remember it, you didn’t want to think. You just wanted to disappear, now more than you ever had before.

You slumped in the couch without even meaning to, and before you could will yourself to get up, to help, your eyes closed on you and you drifted away from the chaos plaguing the village and your thoughts.


End file.
